PHOENIX — After 19 days and 8,056 miles, the Spurs have reached the final stop on their nine-game rodeo road trip before a return to South Texas for a long stay everyone in the traveling party eagerly anticipates.

Intent on returning to San Antonio with a victory that will prevent what would be only their second losing streak of a season that has them with the best record in the NBA, the Spurs' focus is on renewing the crisp execution that produced their most artful victory of the season one night before suffering one of their worst shooting performances.

To get a win over the Phoenix Suns, they will have to overcome the absence of their leading scorer. Point guard Tony Parker has been scratched with a right triceps contusion.

Parker suffered the injury in one of his finest performances of a season that has made him an MVP candidate: a 31-point, seven-assist, zero-turnover outing Thursday against the Clippers' All-NBA point guard, Chris Paul.

After struggling in a 107-101 overtime loss to the Warriors on Friday, Parker gave no indication he had been playing hurt. Rather, he said he was focused on tonight's game, on which he placed added importance following the team's first loss in six games.

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“We definitely need to move forward, forget (Friday's game) and refocus because we want to get this game in Phoenix and finish the road trip on a good note,” he said in front of his locker at Oracle Arena with both feet in ice water, both knees sheathed in ice wraps.

“Golden State is a tough place to play, and we went to overtime in the second game of a back-to-back, and we lost it, so now we have to finish on a good note in Phoenix and finally get back home.”

The Spurs have seen home only during the All-Star break that split the trip into distinct legs of East and West. Parker, fellow All-Star Tim Duncan, All-Star coach Gregg Popovich and All-Star weekend participants Matt Bonner (3-point shootout) and Kawhi Leonard (Rising Stars Challenge) spent most of the break in and around Houston's Toyota Center.

The rodeo trip began with a victory over the Timberwolves on Feb. 6 and included a win over a solid Chicago Bulls team with Parker, Manu Ginobili and Duncan sitting out with injuries and Stephen Jackson absent to be with his wife after the loss of their unborn child. They won six of the first seven games before losing to the Warriors.

Ginobili, who scored 18 points in the Friday loss — his highest scoring game since getting 20 in a home win over the Suns on Jan. 26 — declared the trip already has been a success but that the team's professionalism won't allow a letdown.

“We're going to feel good about the trip, regardless,” Ginobili said. “We are 6-2 so far, but, of course, we're going to play against a team that has not been doing great, and we want to win, as always, against the Clippers, against the Suns, against everybody.

“The day off is going to help and, hopefully, we don't start thinking the road trip is over before it is. We've got to be pros and be responsible and have a great game.”

The loss of Parker is apt to make his teammates aware of the need to be focused, even against the team with the worst record in the West, and Parker will do what he can from the bench to remind them.

“If we win in Phoenix, it will be a very, very nice road trip, but it's important to not get ahead of ourselves thinking about getting home,” he said. “Let's get Phoenix and then, yes, it will be nice to be back in San Antonio for all those games.”